Chicken & Sweetcorn Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 2 x 250g pre-cooked jasmine rice pouches, cooled or fridge-cold
• 300 g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 150 g frozen sweetcorn
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp chilli flakes, optional
• Crusty sourdough toast, to serve
• Dressed leaves, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and have everything else prepped and within arm's reach — once the wok is hot, this moves fast. Get the wok screaming hot over maximum heat until you see the first wisp of smoke.
2. Add 1 tbsp oil and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble quickly for 30–45 seconds until just set and barely glossy — pull them while they still look slightly underdone, they'll firm up off the heat. Tip onto a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and lay the chicken in the wok in a single layer. Don't crowd it — if your wok is small, do this in two batches. Crowded chicken sweats and boils instead of browning. Leave untouched for 2–3 minutes until deeply golden underneath, then stir-fry for another 2 minutes until cooked through and caramelised at the edges. Remove to the plate with the egg.
4. Drop the garlic and ginger into the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold. Don't burn the garlic — it turns bitter in seconds at this heat and there's no recovering it.
5. Add the cold rice, breaking up any clumps with the back of your spoon, and press it firmly against the hot wok. Leave untouched for a full minute so the grains catch and colour against the metal — that's where the smoky, toasty character comes from. Toss, press again, and repeat once more until the grains are separate and lightly charred.
6. Add the sweetcorn and stir-fry for 1 minute until the kernels are glossy and just starting to pop. Pour the soy and oyster sauce around the edge of the wok so it sizzles and caramelises on contact, then toss through to coat every grain.
7. Return the chicken and egg to the wok, breaking the egg into ribbons through the rice. Toss everything together for 30 seconds until piping hot. Taste a forkful — most of the salt comes from the soy and oyster, but adjust now if it needs a final pinch. Taste again before it leaves the wok.
8. Tip into bowls or serve straight from the wok. Drizzle with the sesame oil, scatter over the spring onions, and finish with a pinch of chilli flakes if you want the heat.